


Dances Underneath the Moonlight

by remus_bloody_lupin



Category: Original Work
Genre: Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Full Moon, M/M, Moonlight, NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo 2016, Novel, POV Original Character, Werewolf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-29 03:12:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8473249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remus_bloody_lupin/pseuds/remus_bloody_lupin
Summary: Tobias Cassidy has lived in the same small town all of his life and he has always hated it. There was never anything new, never anyone new. He's never really paid much attention to everyone around him besides his friend Robin-that is until a strange boy enters his class a few days after his senior year began. There's something about this boy that greatly fascinates him: maybe it is his large amber eyes, or the freckles that litter his pale skin. Or maybe it's the gash that goes from the bottom of his right eye and just kissing the top of his lip. Whatever it is, Toby is now absorbed in learning more about this shy book worm, and that can cause problems for them both.





	1. Chapter 1

Small towns never were very interesting. No, the cities, where there is always someone new to pass on the streets, that was fascinating. But small towns? You can never get away with anything in a small town, since if you do something to get yourself in trouble, there’s no doubt that a store owner saw it and immediately called your mother to tell on you. You can’t walk along the sidewalk without running into someone that you have known all of your life. Nothing new ever happens in a small town, it’s always the same people, same events, same everything.   
I can’t wait to leave. The minute I graduate-no, the second I graduate-I’ll be out of here. As soon as that diploma touches my hands, I’ll be gone. There really is nothing interesting about a small town when it’s just the same people on the streets everyday; same students going to school, the same ones who have been in my grade since I was only a child. Every single year on the first day of school, I excitedly looked around for someone, anyone who I had never met before. Someone that I could make a new impression on, someone who didn’t know me already. But as I got older, I gave up looking for someone new, they would never come.   
And today is no exception. 

 

*****************

 

Summer breeze flows through blonde locks of Caroline Button as she chats with her friends, her pink skirt brushing against her tan legs. Her friends, all sporting matching hair and outfits, giggle about their summer and how the boys have changed as they grew from juniors to seniors. Apparently there is a lot to talk about in that section. As much as they like to think so, no one has really changed all that much. The book nerds are still nerdy, sporting cardigans and tan, baggy pants. The jocks, all dating the cheerleaders, still wear their muscles as if they were their only valuable asset. The cheerleaders, in turn, hike their skirts up so that they are barely covered up as they twirl their hair between their fingers. Since high school began, no one really changed. We all like to think we have, but I know better than that. I know that the whole change thing is just bullshit.   
“People watching again, my dear Tobias?” I jump as Robin plops down next to me on the cool, dew covered grass. “Is there anyone interesting?” I scoff and lean back on my hands.  
“Nope, nothing new; nothing is ever new.” Robin shrugs her shoulders and lays down on her back.   
“You really need to stop with your people watching, Tob, it’s kind of creepy.” I roll my eyes. “I’m serious.” She says, not even looking up at me to know that I rolled my eyes. “I’m your only friend and having people know that I’m friends with the school’s infamous people watcher would just be bad for my reputation.”  
“Please, Robin, I doubt anyone has noticed.” She barks a laugh.  
“Trust me, they notice. Have you ever thought about getting more friends than just me?” She asks, turning her head to look up at me.  
“Not really, I don’t think anyone would want to be friends with me.”  
“Well why not?” She asks, sitting up. “Besides the fact that you are known by everyone in town as the guy who asks a teacher to homecoming every year. Speaking of that,” She swoops over to snatch my schedule off of the ground where it sits at my thigh. “Who are you planning to ask this year? Oh! You have Ms. Bundy again for English! Who knows, maybe she’ll say yes to you this year.” I asked Ms. Bundy to the homecoming dance in my sophomore year, and let’s just say I got a very blunt ‘no’.   
“Nah, she doesn’t deserve me anyway.” She chuckles as she eyes my schedule.  
“Of course not. Who do you have for Calculus? Oh, I have Mr. Smith too! Maybe you could ask him out, I’d pay to see him turn you down.” I wrinkle my nose.  
“The bald guy who was rumored to be harvesting illegal drugs last year? No thanks, maybe I’ll just be stuck with Ms. Bundy after all.” Robin laughs and tosses my schedule back at me.   
“Whatever floats your boat, Tob. But have you ever thought of asking out, I don’t know, someone our own age?” I sigh and lean back, turning my face to the sky. The sun still shines hot and I can almost feel a burn beginning to form on my already tan cheeks. I close my eyes against the bright sun and I can almost feel myself being transported somewhere else.  
“You already know I won’t. I’m not interested in anyone in this town.” I hear a little noise come from next to me. Maybe a chuckle, or a snort, or a sigh.  
“But they’re all sure interested in you.” I sigh quietly. So much for being transported somewhere else.  
“As you’ve told me.” Robin pushes herself up on her hands and she looks at me.  
“Come on, Toby. You know how all of the girls go absolutely crazy for you (god knows why). I mean, just take Avery Jones for example.” I groan and let my eyes travel over to Avery Jones. Her curly dark hair sits atop her head and she twirls around in her new teal dress, her friends ‘oohing’ and ‘ahing’ in delight. Her brown eyes meet mine for a moment and she breaks out into a fit of giggles.   
“She’s had a crush on you since like sixth grade.” Robin remarks, her eyes following mine.  
“She’s not my type.” I mumble, turning away from Avery to look around at everyone else. It wasn’t just Avery either, as Robin has told me many times. There are a lot of girls who apparently have grown to fancy me: Robin has a list, even. But just like Avery, none of them are my type.  
“You always say that. So, what is your type?” She asks, leaning forward to stare up at me with her wicked hazel eyes.   
“I don’t know, Rob.” I sigh, leaning back and closing my eyes.  
“Well Avery isn’t your type, neither Jessica, nor Ashley, nor Penny. So, if they aren’t your type, you must have a type. Let’s start simple, what color hair do you like best?” I groan, it seems like there is no way to get out of this conversation this time.   
“I don’t know… Maybe red?”   
“Well Macy Stevens has red hair! She’s liked you since freshman year!” I open my eyes and search around until my eyes land on the girl with the fiery red hair, currently tied up into a ponytail so high I can physically feel the pain it must cause. I run a hand through my own hair, which in itself is long enough for a small ponytail.   
“I don’t know…”  
“Oh come on!” Robin exclaims. “You said you like red hair, so what is it about her that you don’t like?”   
“Look, Robin, just because you’re all crazy about dating, it doesn’t mean that I have to be. I can like a hair color without wanting to date everyone with that hair color. If I ever decide that I want to date someone, it probably won’t be because they have red hair, it will be because I actually like them, not just their appearances. Unlike some.” I add with a smirk, causing Robin to gasp.  
“How dare you, sir? I do not just date people for their appearances. I’ll have you know that I have been thoroughly interested in everyone that I have ever dated.” I chuckle.  
“Yeah, thoroughly interested for like a week.” I nudge her with my elbow, glad that the conversation has shifted so effortlessly.   
“It doesn’t matter how long it lasted, all that matters is that I’m right and you’re wrong.” I roll my eyes and sigh as the school bell rings loudly.  
“Great, ready to start off a new year of hell.” Robin groans, pushing herself up to her feet.  
“No, hell would be more interesting.” I mumble and pull myself up along with her. She rolls her eyes.  
“How dramatic you always are.” She chuckles and together, we walk into the school.

 

*****************

 

My chances of getting a date for the homecoming dance grows thinner as the day goes on until I’m sitting in my last class of the day, English. Ms. Bundy talks to the class as she writes on the chalkboard, explaining the class rules and the syllabus, but I don’t listen. It seems that Ms. Bundy is the only suitable choice for a date and, judging by the glare she gave me when I walked into the room, my chances aren’t good. Still, I took my spot right in the front of the room so that I can see her every move and quickly see any opportunity to make a comment about the lesson. But today, I don’t even bother thinking of anything-which I don’t think bothers Ms. Bundy much. The room is almost full, every desk but one houses a student. My eyes travel to the empty desk, sitting right next to mine and closest to the wall, furthest from the door. There normally is never one empty seat. It’s either there is three or more empty seats or not a single unoccupied seat. Maybe someone new is coming and they just aren’t here yet. No, that would be stupid to think. Nobody new ever comes, so there’s no point getting my hopes up. I guess I’ll just be stuck with Ms. Bundy as my date.

 

*****************

 

“So, how was your first day of senior year?” I’m not even completely through the front door before mom runs over, flour matted in her long back hair and dusted on her dark jeans. I shrug my shoulders and toss my backpack on the ground.   
“It was alright.” I say, knowing that wasn’t the answer that she wanted. “Nothing new. I have Ms. Bundy again, and she doesn’t seem too happy to have me back.” Mom chuckles and she ruffles my hair.   
“Oh, I’m sure she loves you.” I roll my eyes.  
“She ran to Principal Connors begging him to put me in a different English class sophomore year. Yeah, I’m sure she loves me.” She messes my hair.  
“Come on, I made some cookies and icedtea.” She smiles, leading me into the kitchen. To say that it looks like a mess would be the understatement of the century.  
“Woah, did you get mugged in here?” I ask, observing the mess of flour coating the counter, the stove, and even the ceiling.   
“Oh, shut up, Toby.” She groans, running her hand through her hair, only spreading more of the white throughout her black curls. “The mixer and I had a bit of a dispute.”   
“I can see that.” I chuckle as I plant myself in a seat at the table, making a grab for a cookie. I chew as mom brings over a glass of icedtea.   
“Is dad going to be home tonight?” I ask her, studying her flour painted face.   
“No, not tonight, he’s working.” I nod without saying more, staring at the sweat falling down my glass of icedtea. I’m suddenly no longer hungry.  
“I’m going to take this upstairs and start on my homework.” I say, standing with the glass and the half eaten cookie.  
“Homework? It was the first day of school. Who would be giving you homework?” I sigh.  
“Ms. Bundy. I think it’s payback for the prank I pulled on her those years ago.” Mom gives a small chuckle.   
“You did cover her entire classroom in sticky notes, I would probably hold a grudge too if I was her.” I chuckle and shove the cookie into my mouth before heading back to the door, slinging my backpack over my shoulder, and rushing up my bedroom. I sigh and lean back against the wooden door, looking around at my room as if seeing it for the first time. The wall is littered with posters that Robin has given me and pictures. Pictures of mom and dad and me, pictures of me and Robin, it felt homeier that way. I toss my backpack on my bed before flopping down next to it. I shouldn’t be as upset as I am, I’m used to this schedule by now. Dad was hardly ever home, not anymore. He always worked, staying long hours and then after. I don’t really know why he’s staying late all of the sudden, except maybe that we’re low on money. We’ve never really been poor, but we definitely aren’t anything to brag about. That’s why I’m lugging around the same backpack, its strap beginning to rip off, just so we don’t have to waste money on a new one. Maybe I should learn to sew…   
Dinner goes by in a blur: a blur of beef stew and silence. Neither mom nor I seem in much of a mood for talking. I pick at my stew for a while until mom stands abruptly.   
“I’m going to turn in early, it’s been a long day.” She says, eyeing the flour destroyed kitchen. “Do you mind cleaning up after dinner?” I nod my head.  
“Yeah, of course mom.” She smiles and kisses my head before leaving. Having lost my appetite, I begin cleaning up the mess from dinner, deciding later on to clean up mom’s mess. By the time I finish it’s going on nine at night and the sky outside is black, only littered with light from the stars and the moon. Tossing my towel on the counter, I head outside, barefoot, and into the backyard. The grass is sharp and cold under my feet; welcoming. I lay down flat on my back next to the large oak tree, staring up at the sky. Everything is more welcoming at night. The summer heat has cooled and a breeze moves my hair, tickling my neck in the best way. Pulling a tie of my wrist, I tug my hair into a ponytail to keep it out of the way. Robin always makes fun of me whenever I wear my hair this way, so I try to tie it up whenever she’s around. I sigh and lay in the grass, staring up at the large, full moon casting its light across me. Mom used to bring me outside when I was younger and she would bring out a radio, playing music and we would dance under the light of the full moon. We did this every month under the full moon until I turned twelve. I got too old, I was too cool for our moon dances. Sometimes I miss it, I stare out my window on the nights of the full moon and I wish that I was outside dancing with mom. But she’s too busy, she’s always too worried about dad to worry about dancing with me. She’s working herself to death, baking treats for the bakery down the street, trying to worm her way to the top baker in the whole town. There are three bakeries in our whole town and mom’s is number two. She spends all her nights working on new creations, trying to come up with something new. My dad, on the other hand, doesn’t worry about the company, he only worries about what his boss has to say about his work. He works for a large company that is trying to produce the new cell phone that every person in the world will want-what they’ll need. If you ask me, they are never going to get above the iPhone. They’re both always working, they’re both always busy. I guess the dances under the moonlight didn’t just end because I grew up, maybe it was because they, too, grew up. I close my eyes, feeling the burn of the full moon against my skin. I can feel the weight of mom’s hands in my own as she twirls me around in the dewy grass. The summer breeze floats around us as we spin, grinning and giggling, underneath the dark blanket of night. The distant howl of a dog drags my attention back to reality. I’m no longer dancing in the grass with mom, but lying alone in the dark, underneath the oak tree and the big moon. Tomorrow, the fullness of the moon will fall and I will have to wait a month until I can sneak back out to the light of the full moon. Sighing, I close my eyes again and soak up the moon while I still can.   
“Tobias?” I open my eyes, adjusting to the darkness, and I shiver. Where am I? Suddenly, the memory of the moon dances and the cold grass comes back to me. Did I fall asleep outside? How cliche is that? I turn my head to the door to see dad half standing outside in the open doorway. The top buttons of his shirt is undone and his hair stands up on his head, his glasses down near the tip of his nose, dangerously close to falling to the ground.  
“Are you just getting home?” I ask him while sitting up and stretching, wincing as my back cracks loudly.  
“Mhm.” He mumbles, rubbing his face tiredly. “Were you asleep?” I sigh and stand up.  
“Yeah, I guess I must have fallen asleep.” I yawn and walk toward the door. Dad rubs my back and leads me inside.  
“There’s some leftover beef stew in the fridge if you want it.” I offer him. He smiles but shakes his head.  
“No thanks, I think I’m going to turn in. You should head up and sleep in your own bed.” I chuckle weakly and nod, watching him head toward the stairs.  
“Hey, dad,” I stop him. “Did someone get a dog?” He turns to look at me.  
“What do you mean?” He asks, leaning against the stair railing. I shrug my shoulders.  
“I heard a dog howling while I was outside and no one in the neighborhood has a dog who howls at night. I was just wondering if anyone got a new dog.” He shrugs his shoulders.  
“Not that I’m aware of. Maybe the Bailey’s nextdoor let their dog out and they fell asleep without letting it in.” I shrug my shoulders.  
“Best explanation we have.” I sigh and yawn. “Well, goodnight dad.”  
“‘Night son.” He says before heading upstairs to his and mom’s room. I stay downstairs for a few minutes longer, staring out the window at the moon before heading up to my room, determined to have a good, long night's sleep in my warm and comfortable bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Why does the sun get to be out during the day? Why do we have to spend most of our lives underneath the sun instead of underneath the moon? Moonlight is so much softer than sunlight; it doesn’t burn and it’s easier on the eyes. I would much rather spend my days walking beneath the moonlight than under the sun…  
“Hey dork!” I jump as Robin jumps on my back, nearly knocking me off of my feet.  
“Jeez, Robin! What are you trying to do, kill me?” Robin bows over, laughing in my expense. I cross my arms, glaring at her as she slowly calms herself down enough to stand up straight again.   
“What are you doing just standing here staring at nothing?” She asks, motioning to where I stand in the middle of the walkway leading up to school. I now notice the funny looks I’m being given as everyone has to walk around me to get to school.   
“Sorry about that, I was… I was just thinking.” Robin chuckles and she wraps her arm around my shoulders.  
“You do little else, Toby.” She says, leading me into the school. “So, have you heard the news?” I furrow my eyebrows and look at her.   
“What news? What are you talking about?” I ask as we maneuver down the hallway.  
“As the rumor goes, someone just moved here, someone who will be coming to our school.” I frown, looking at her.  
“Someone new? I know people like to create rumors, but that one is just insane.”   
“No, Toby, but I think it’s true. I saw a moving truck come in a few days before school started.” I now stop and pull her to the side, practically pressing her against the lockers.  
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I practically hiss at her. My threat gains the opposite effect, as she starts giggling.   
“You’re cute when you’re excited, you know that? Those gray eyes just light up.” She grows serious quickly when my expression doesn’t change. “I wasn’t sure if that was what I saw and I know how excited you get when it comes to new people, and I didn’t want to get your hopes up.” I back up, pressing my back against the blue lockers behind me.  
“Wow, someone new… Finally, something new!” I exclaim, my excitement growing inside me, threatening to escape.  
“See, this is why I didn’t tell you. Besides, it’s just a rumor, Toby. Have you even seen anyone new?” I sigh, realizing that she was right. I’m about to give up on the thought of excitement when a realization pops into my head.  
“English!” I shout, causing a few people to turn and give the two of us odd looks.  
“What about English?” Robin asks, clearly wishing that she hadn’t brought up the conversation at all. I, on the other hand, am now practically jumping up and down, grabbing onto her and spinning her in a circle.  
“There’s an empty desk in English!” Robin pulls away, placing her hand on her head, growing dizzy.   
“So what? It’s just a desk.”  
“No, but it’s not! We never have empty desks! Well, we do, but not just one! Why would there only be one empty desk? Everyone has to take English, so there’s no reason that there would be one empty desk! I bet you ten dollars that this rumored person will be there in class today, that that desk will be filled!” Robin opens her mouth to say something, but the bell cuts her off.  
“You’ll see, Robin!” I shout excitedly as I run down the hall to my first class of the day. I couldn’t wait until English class for once, and it wasn’t just because I get to see my future homecoming date.  
Much to Ms. Bundy's displeasure, I'm the first one to make it to English at the end of the day. Excitement flicks through my body as I sit down, eyeing the seat next to me.   
“I see you're here early, Tobias, may I ask why?” I grin, feeling her discomfort of the situation.   
“My last class is close.” That's a lie, the last class I had is all the way across the school. I had to run to make it here this early. “Don't worry, Ms. B. I'm not planning anything. Not yet at least.” I add, smirking when her face briefly twists to one of horror. She doesn't say anything else as the class begins to full. Students I've known since elementary school take the seats they did yesterday, no one new. My leg bounces in excitement as I wait for the new face to enter. But as the bell rings, I realize that no one knew is going to walk in. Maybe it is just a rumor after all… I slouch in my seat, not even bothering to listen to Ms. Bundy teaching ethos pathos and logos. I dread the bell ringing and I will have to walk to Robin with my tail between my legs and tell her she was right. I stay in my seat several seconds longer than I should and Ms. Bundy's eyes burn holes in the back of my neck as I stand and gather my stuff. Without a word to her, I shuffle out of the class, dragging my feet to the front of the school. Robin's eyes catch me immediately, a smirk growing upon her face.   
“So, no new kid?” She teases.   
“Shut up.” I mumble, walking past her.   
“Oh, come on Toby.” She says, following me and wrapping her arm around my shoulder. “Don't be too disappointed.” I sigh and run my hand through my hair.   
“I was just hoping that for once something new could happen here. Something interesting.” Robin shrugs her shoulders and squeezes my arm.   
“Even if someone new did move here, what would be so interesting about them? They probably just moved from one small town to another. And it's not like they have some horrible backstory, they would probably be just like us.” I groan quietly, but I know she's right. Even if the rumors were true, what would really be so interesting about this new kid? It's not like he would be secretly a vampire or a runaway murderer or something like that, he would just be an ordinary kid.   
“Cheer up, Tob.” She says, a grin forming on her face. “Why don't you come by mine and we can watch some lame horror movies to cheer you up.” Smiling weakly, I nod.   
“Yeah, I'd like that.”  
Robin's room always cheers me up for some reason. It's small and cozy and the smell if flowery perfume is just teetering on just enough and overpowering. I flop down on my back on her cream colored duvet cover and I sigh while Robin searches through her movie shelf.   
“Scream?” She asks, looking up at me. I wrinkle my nose.   
“No way. Besides, we already watched that one this month.” She shrugs her shoulders and goes back to searching. After a full five minutes (I counted) we finally agree on a movie and she plops down next to me.   
“What, no popcorn?” I joke and grin as she slaps my arm. “If you want popcorn, go make it yourself.” Rolling my eyes, I get up and pull myself down her stairs to her kitchen. I've known Robin since we were in kindergarten together, so her house is basically my own. I maneuver through her kitchen, grabbing a large bowl and the bags of popcorn out of her pantry. As I toss the bag into the microwave, I lean against the counter to wait, finding myself looking out of her kitchen window. The house next to hers had always been abandoned. It wasn’t the prettiest house and the air conditioning in it was shit. When we were ten we snuck in, deciding to have a sleepover inside of it until it got so cold that we went back to her house, only to be told off by her parents. The appliances inside of it were old and I wouldn’t doubt if none of them worked. The grass is brown with neglect and the paint is chipping off and falling to the old deck. I have hardly paid it any mind since we last snuck in, but now it drew my attention. It’s entire presence feels more welcome, like it’s always been a home, not just an empty house. The grass is less brown than usual and it’s even cut. The paint chips have been swept off of the old deck and the broken lock has been replaced with a new and frankly expensive lock. I tilt my head to the side, ignoring the microwave screaming that the popcorn is finished. It almost looks like someone lives there… After a while, I drag my attention away from the house before quickly tossing the popcorn in the bowl and running back up to Robin.  
“There you are!” She complains. “What took you so long? Microwave popcorn doesn’t take that long to make.”  
“Is someone living in that house next to you?” I ask, barely letting her finish her sentence. I jump onto her bed, setting the bowl of popcorn down between us. Robin shrugs.  
“I don’t know, I haven’t really look at it in a while.” To her displeasure, the excitement is quickly growing in my chest once again.  
“What if the rumors are true! And what if the new kid is living right next to you!” I jump, grabbing her shoulders with my excitement.  
“Woah, Toby, calm down! It’s just a house, you have no proof.” But I don’t care about that anymore, I don’t care about the stupid movie playing in the background. Maybe if the kid wasn’t at school today, he’ll be there tomorrow. Maybe there will be something new. Robin pulls herself out of my grasp and she throws a piece of popcorn into her mouth.  
“Calm down, will you? I’m trying to watch the movie.”  
I spend an extra few minutes lingering at the house as I walk home that night. The sun is beginning to set and is casting an orange light against the pale yellow paint of the house. I watch the windows, waiting for any kind of movement to reveal something-or someone-inside. I don’t know how long I stand there; a few minutes, ten? Sighing, I turn on the sidewalk to continue my walk home. I swear, as I turn, I see a flash of red out of the corner of my eye.  
“There’s rumor of a new kid in our school.” I say out loud as I sit at the table, messing with the peas still sitting on my plate. Mom and dad both look up at me and give me a quizzical look.   
“Is that so?” Mom asks kindly. I nod my head and stick a forkful of peas in my mouth.   
“Yeah, Robin told me about it. And I think it's true.”  
“Well, don't believe everything you hear.” Dad says, clearly not very interested in the subject.   
“No, but I really think it's true. No one new was at school, but it looks like that old abandoned house next to Robin is occupied.”   
“Hmm.” Mom says softly as she ponders this over. “There was no for sale sign, so it must have just been a trick of the eye.” I sigh and slouch back in my chair, wishing I never brought up the conversation.   
“It wasn't.” I mutter to myself and flick a pea across my plate. Mom watches me pick at my food for a while before she sighs and begins to clean up the table. As she gets up, dad takes out his phone.   
“I have to run.” He says, bringing my attention to him as he stands up.   
“I thought we were going to watch a movie tonight.” I say, trying to keep the disappointment from dripping into my voice.  
“Sorry son, but I have to work.” He says, ruffling my hair before wrinkling his nose. “It's probably for the best, you need a shower.” He winks and chuckles at his own joke before leaving the room to grab his coat and shoes. I push myself further back in my seat, wishing that the table could swallow me whole and take me away from all of this. Mom comes back, not addressing that dad has left, and she steals my plate from me before heading back into the kitchen. In defeat, I make my way to the second floor bathroom. He was right, I could use a shower. My hair is slowly becoming gross and greasy and if there is a new kid, I don't want this to be their first impression of me. Stripping out of my clothes, I turn on the shower and step inside, letting the momentarily cold water chill my bones before it starts to heat up. Sighing in content, I close my eyes and let the warm water wet my hair and send it ring-style across my face. Although I try to keep my mind blank, my brain returns me to the brief flash of red I saw at the house. There must be someone there. No one really ever goes in there, there's no reason to. It's not haunted or anything, (unfortunately, since that would make a good story) and it's just an old, cold house. So unless it's someone like Robin and me who just snuck in, there's no reason for anyone to be in the house. Besides, they would have to be tall enough for me to see whatever it is I saw through the window, it definitely wasn't a child. The water grows from warm to hot with my thoughts and I let out a yelp, quickly jumping away and turning the nozzle closer to the right. The water slowly cools and turns into a comfortable temperature for my shower. I squeeze shampoo into my hand and lather it into my hair, scrubbing my scalp until I can no longer feel it anymore. I let the water was out the suds and I close my eyes again. But this time, the house and the possibility of excitement leave my mind and I think about dad. He had promised a week ago that we would have a movie night tonight, that we would just talk like a real family does. But apparently work is too important-more important than family, it seems. I shouldn't be surprised though, he's always been really busy at work, but it seems to have gotten worse lately. Are we really that low on money that he will skip out on his family to go to work? I open my eyes and glare at the shampoo bottle. Maybe I should cut my hair; less hair means less shampoo to use. I grab the soap, wetting it in my hands, and begin to rub it against my arm, watching the white suds form against my tan skin. Maybe he was just busy at work, or maybe he just didn't really care at us at home…   
Finishing up my shower, I turn off the water and step out onto the cold bathroom tile. I grab myself a towel and run it through my hair before drying myself off and wrapping it around my waist. I reach the sink and grab my hairbrush, attempting to make my hair as straight as possible. After a good five minutes, I give up and let it sit as a nest on my head before leaving the bathroom to head for my bedroom. I pull my boxers and a tee shirt out of my drawers and pull them on, my eyes traveling to the dark sky outside and the light emitted by the moon. If mom wasn't downstairs, maybe I would sneak out and lay underneath the moonlight again, but I don't want dad to catch me out there again; besides, it's not a full moon, it's not the same. I pull back my blood red duvet covers and I flop down, barely bothering to pull them over me before I shove my face into the pillow. All the excitement that had previously filled me had drained away, leaving an empty feeling inside of me. The complete lack of anything allows me to drift off to sleep easily.   
“You look upset.” Robin remarks as she sits down next to me in the grass, staring up at the school.   
“How observant you are.” I mumble, messing with my hands in my lap.  
“I’m sorry that I upset you with the whole rumor thing, I shouldn’t have told you.” I shrug my shoulders, pretending that that was what was getting me down. I watch as some students linger around, talking with their friends, and others walk into the school, going to the library or to their classes early.  
“It really doesn’t matter, Rob.” I say, leaning onto my back and closing my eyes. “I got too excited. Besides, it doesn’t matter if there’s someone new or not. Like you said, it’s not like they would really be that exciting.”  
“Oh my god.” I hear Robin mutter beside me.   
“Yeah, I know, I’m telling you you’re right.” She sends her elbow into my side. “Ouch! Hey, what was that for?”  
“Shut up and just look!” I sit up and follow her pointed hand. At first, I don’t see anything new, and then I see it: the flash of red. A tall, lanky boy with a curly mop of strawberry blond hair walks up the sidewalk, looking as if he was trying to keep out of sight. And he was doing a pretty good job, no one else seemed to notice him. I wouldn’t either if Robin hadn’t told me. He didn’t look around as he walked like new kids did in the movie’s I’ve seen, in fact, he walked as if he had been doing it every day for all of his life. Maybe that was why he was so undetectable. But even if he was trying to hide, it was hard to miss him. It was even harder to miss the long, ugly cut reaching all the way from the bottom of his right eye down to touch the top of his lip, where the skin was clearly chapped and cut.   
“Wow.” I mumble, my eyes not leaving the boy until he is inside of the school and out of my sight.  
“He’s kind of cute.” I hear Robin say beside me. She’s not wrong; in fact, she’s never been more right. He is cute in a weird kind of way. And again, I feel excited about English class.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rising to my cheeks and I know for a fact that the blush has given me away.  
> “Whatever. Just please, refrain from staring.” His voice is deeper than I expected, though not really by much. There’s still an air of childish tone, like his voice hasn’t fully matured yet, but at the same time there’s an adult like maturity in it that briefly makes me wonder if he even belongs in this school. A light accent lingers, but disappears so quickly that I can’t tell what it is.  
> “I won’t stare.” I say, only to realize that the attention he was just giving me is gone, focused back on the book he’s reading and he pays me no mind. I want to talk to him further, I want to find out his name, how he got the wound, why he moved into the old house next to Robin, and why he decided to move here to begin with-but I can’t ask any of this.

I pick at the nasty school food sitting on my tray as I eye the cafeteria. Robin rolls her eyes and she nudges me.  
“You’re looking for the mystery boy?” She asks, chuckling.  
“Yeah, but I don’t see him.” I mumble, searching around the room. The kid does really well trying to blend in. Robin shrugs her shoulders and she leans back.  
“I haven’t seen him at all since this morning, maybe he came and left?” She suggests. I am beginning to think that she could be right until I catch sight of the familiar hair.  
“There!” I point to the boy, who is sitting at an empty table. “Maybe we should go sit with him, he looks lonely.” Robin and I are the only ones who sit at this table anyway, so no one will miss us.   
“I don’t know, Toby, he may be sitting alone for a reason. Look at him, he doesn’t really look like a person ready to make friends.” I study him from across the room, taking in all of the information that I can. His sweater hangs loosely on his small frame, falling over his hands as he picked at an obviously homemade sandwich. His posture is awful, but that could be because he’s trying to hide himself away. Even from this far away, I can see the cut scarring below his right eye. I can see the red of the cut and the irritation of the skin around it and I feel the sudden urge to want to know everything about this kid.   
“You really want to go talk to him, don’t you?” She asks, watching me study him.  
“Yeah.” I say, but I hesitate. “But maybe I should wait, I don’t want to scare him off. Besides, I’ll probably see him in English anyway.” Robin rolls her eyes.  
“You really do think he’s going to be in your class, huh?” She asks, raising her eyebrow.  
“He has to be! Otherwise I’ll tell Ms. Bundy that I can no longer take her to the dance.” Robin laughs and punches me in the arm before turning back to her food.  
“This lunch is gruesome, isn’t it?” She wrinkles her nose, poking the ball of mashed potatoes with her fork.  
“It seems to get worse and worse every year.” I agree, pushing my tray away. “There’s no way I will eat this, I have much higher standards.” Robin snorts.  
“Whatever you want to believe, Tob.” I roll my eyes and laugh softly with her. Before I know it, The mystery boy is far out of my mind.  
I skip into English class today, navigating through the half full classroom to get to my seat, delighted to see that the seat next to mine is filled. I grin as I plop down, but the boy doesn’t even look up at me. Now having a closer look at him, I notice the freckles littering his face and down his neck and I can’t help but wonder how far down they go... His skin looks red underneath his sweater, and I can’t blame him. I’m in a short sleeve shirt and I’m sweating, I don’t know how he could manage to wear a sweater during summer in a school with awful air conditioning. My eyes travel over his nose to the scar, and my breath catches in my throat. Up close, I can tell that it’s less of a scar and more of an open wound. Where it ends on his lip is open and there’s a bit of dried blood lingering on his bottom lip-maybe he bit it? The wound ends just at his eye and as his eyes-an impossible amber color-travel through the words of the book he’s reading, I can see a small mark on his eye that must have been damaged from whatever gave him that cut. The wound is deep, so deep that if I were to cut just a little further, I wonder if I would see the white of his cheekbone. Staring at it almost makes me sick, but most of me is itching to know exactly what this mysterious boy has gone through.  
“Could you please stop staring at me.” I jump as a voice shakes me out of my thoughts, only to notice that the amber eyes are no longer flicking through his book, but are focused on me.  
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t staring. I was just...zoning out.” I try to cover up, but I can feel the heat rising to my cheeks and I know for a fact that the blush has given me away.  
“Whatever. Just please, refrain from staring.” His voice is deeper than I expected, though not really by much. There’s still an air of childish tone, like his voice hasn’t fully matured yet, but at the same time there’s an adult like maturity in it that briefly makes me wonder if he even belongs in this school. A light accent lingers, but disappears so quickly that I can’t tell what it is.  
“I won’t stare.” I say, only to realize that the attention he was just giving me is gone, focused back on the book he’s reading and he pays me no mind. I want to talk to him further, I want to find out his name, how he got the wound, why he moved into the old house next to Robin, and why he decided to move here to begin with-but I can’t ask any of this. So many questions float through my head that I can barely listen to a thing Ms. Bundy is saying. There is absolutely no way I’m going to pass this class, I’ve accepted it already. If only we were in elementary school, then the teachers would make the boy stand up in the front of the class and introduce himself, then I would know who he is. But this is high school and the teachers could really care less about new students, even if they don’t come around often. Before I know it, my list is filling up in my head and the bell has rung. Before I can open my mouth to say anything, the boy next to me is out of his seat and collecting his things. I sneak a peek over at his book, To Kill a Mockingbird. I’ve heard it’s a classic, but I’ve never cared enough to read it. And idea pops into my head and I grin before leaping from my seat and running out of the classroom, nearly forgetting my backpack. I run down the hall until I stand at the door where I meet Robin, beating her there by a good few minutes.  
“You’re in a rush today.” Robin says as she walks over. “So, new boy was in you class?” I grin and nod my head. I want to tell her about what I noticed, about what he said to me and about what his voice sounds like, but I decide to keep that all to myself. “So, want to come over to my place tonight? I just got a new movie and it looks so stupid!” I chuckle.  
“I wish I could, but I have to go somewhere first,” Robin raises her eyebrow at me.  
“Oh? And where is that?” I grin knowingly.  
“The library.”  
I really wish Robin hadn’t insisted on following me to the library. She clings to my hip, complaining about having to stop at the library and all of the people minding their own business and reading.  
“Who do they even think they are? They’re just trying to look cool and hipster by hanging out in the library.” Rolling my eyes, I search through the shelves of books before finding exactly what I wanted. “To Kill a Mockingbird? Why are you reading that?” She asks, eyeing the book suspiciously. I shrug my shoulders.  
“It’s a classic, so I figured I would read it.” I say, flipping through the pages of the book.   
“You, reading? Did we cross into a parallel universe?” I snort, careful to not disturb anyone of the people silently reading around me.   
“No, I just felt like it.” I shrug and bring the book to the counter to check it out.   
“Hmm.” Robin mutters and I can practically see the gears turning in her head.   
“Don't put much thought into it, Rob, it's nothing.” I say, handing the book the the lady at the counter and pulling out my hardly used library card.   
“Your mom is going to think that you've been replaced with an alien if she sees you with a book, especially a book like that!” I roll my eyes and finish checking out. We walk back outside into the hot air.   
“Maybe I'm just maturing.” Robin laughs.   
“You? As if! There must be something in that book that you need! Maybe they pull a big prank in it and you're trying to get ideas for the end of the year prank on Ms. Bundy.” I shake my head, clutching the book in my hands.   
“No malicious intent, I'm afraid.” Robin stops in her tracks and turns to be, grabbing my shoulders.   
“Then why are you reading it?” She asks, all the joking out of her voice, leaving only curiosity and a splash of worry. Her eyes search mine for a minute before realization crosses over her face.   
“Oh,” She mumbles, smirking. “Is the mystery boy reading this book?” I push her arms off of me.   
“Shut up.” I mumble and walk past her. The blood rushes to my cheeks as she laughs.   
“Oh, I should have known! What's going on, Toby? Do you have a crush?” She teases, slapping my arm.   
“Shut up, I just want to see why he likes it, that's all. He looked really into it while he was reading it in English, I just wanted to check it out.”  
“So you were watching him?” She asks with a raised eyebrow. “Well, to be fair, that's not new when it comes to you.” I roll my eyes, trying to will my checks to turn back to their normal color.   
“He's just weird, I want to learn more about him.”   
“Weird how?” Robin asks, now sounding more curious than anything.   
“I don't know, he's just really pale, you know? And he got all weird and defensive when he thought I was staring at him.”   
“Well you probably were.” She chuckles and shakes her head. “Besides, you saw that cut on his face, he probably gets a lot of stares because of it.”  
“That cut too!” I exclaim as if she reminded me of something. “It's really nasty if you get up close to it. It's really deep-like really deep. Like if I cut it further, you would be able to see bone, and-”  
“Eww, stop!” Robin slaps my arm. “That's disgusting!” I nod my head agreeingly.   
“You should see it up close, it's really gross.”  
“I'll take your word for it.” She sighs and twirls a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. We walk the rest of the the way to her house in silence.   
My eyes grow tired as they flick back and forth unfamiliarly across the pages of book sitting inches from my face. I am determined to get the book finished as quickly as possible, hopefully before tomorrow. There’s a knock on the door and my eyes travel up to my door.  
“Come in.” I call, turning back to my book as my door opens.  
“I still can’t believe that you’re actually reading.” I roll my eyes.   
“I do know how to read, mom.” Mom smiles and walks over, sitting on the edge of my bed.  
“I know, you just normally don’t.” She sighs, and I know by the sound that she is about to have her own little monologue. “You used to read all of the time when you were younger. You would never go out and play with the other kids your age, you just locked yourself in your room and busied yourself with reading.” She reaches up and ruffles my hair. “Then something changed.” I smile weakly and set the book down on my leg to look up at her.  
“Yeah, I grew up.” She shakes her head and makes a move as if to pull my head onto her shoulder, but she reconsidered the action and lays her hand on my back.  
“It’s not that. You just stopped reading. You shut yourself away still, just not in your room, but in your mind.” She’s silent for a moment and I can’t help but wonder what’s going inside that mind of hers. “I think it was when your dad started working more.” I don’t say anything, knowing that anything I have to say will upset her, because she’s right. When dad went from spending every dinner with us to maybe eating with us once a week, I lost interest in reading. That’s when I started people watching, I thought maybe that if I could read other people, then maybe I could figure out why he didn’t want to be with us. I gave up on that a long time ago, so now my people watching is just a habit.   
“It’s really nothing, mom, don’t worry about it.” I smile and I place my hand over hers, hoping to calm her down a bit. The last thing I want to do is upset her, she has too much to deal with anyway.  
“So, why did you chose this book to read?” She asks as she picks up my book, careful to keep her finger in the page that I left off on. “Wow, you’re pretty far into it already, why the excitement to read?”   
“You sound like Robin.” I sigh, leaning back on my hands. “Can’t I just want to read without any excuse?” She shrugs, skimming over the page I finished only minutes before.  
“Sure, of course you can dear, just not run into the house after leaving Robin’s and running right to your room to read, only coming down for dinner. You can read all you want, but that’s just not like you.” She sets the book back down and rubs my back. “Is something going on that you’re not telling me?” I furrow my eyebrows and look at her.  
“What? No, of course not, everything’s fine.” I reassure. “Really, mom.” She sighs and nods her head.  
“I’m sorry, I’m just a little worried about you. You’ve been so distant lately, and your dad says he found you asleep outside a few nights ago.” I groan, wishing that he had forgotten all about it and hadn’t mentioned it to her.  
“I was just sitting outside and I fell asleep, it’s nothing.” I want to tell her that I was out there for the moon, that I was out there to remember our shared dances under the moonlight, but I decide to keep my mouth shut.   
“How has work been?” I ask her, trying to push the conversation onto her and off of me.  
“Oh, it’s been alright, busy.” I bite down on my lip, noticing the dark circles forming underneath her eyes and the wrinkles developing on her skin. What ever happened to that young, happy woman? The one who pinned her black curls up everyday, putting literally hours into her appearance every morning-I asked her why once, and she just told me that she liked to look pretty for herself.   
“You know I can help you out anytime, if you’d like me too?” I offer, rubbing her knee gently.  
“I know, honey.” She smiles. “And maybe someday I’ll take you up on that offer.” I smile at her.  
“I do know how to bake a little, you taught me well. And I’m pretty good with people, I could run the counter while you work in the kitchen.” I offer, giving her a bit of a cheeky smile. She laughs softly and lightly slaps my arm.   
“Yeah, I know you do. You know, Thursday’s are usually really busy and I am a bit behind… Maybe you wouldn’t mind coming in tomorrow after school?” I grin and hug her tightly.  
“Of course, mom. Anything for you.” I squeeze her before pulling back from the hug. “But if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to get back to reading my book.” She chuckles and ruffles my hair.  
“Of course, if you really insist on reading.” She leans forward and kisses my head before standing up. “Don’t stay up too late, okay?” I smile, grabbing my book again, finding where I left off.  
“Me? Never.”

 

*****************

 

“You look like death.” Robin chuckles as she follows me into school the next morning. “How late did you stay up?” She asks, poking at my ribs jokingly.   
“Until three in the morning.” I moan, running my hand through my messy hair. Wait, did I forget to brush my hair this morning? What about my teeth? Robin is standing a bit further away from me, so maybe I forgot that too.   
“Three?” Robin exclaims. “What were you doing at three in the morning?” I decide to just ignore her, continuing to walk into the school. “You were reading that book, weren’t you?”   
“To be fair, I finished it.” I turn to her. “It’s actually really good, by the way.” I tell her, grinning slightly. “I recommend that you read it, I think you’ll like it. I can tell why it’s called a classic.” She rolls her eyes.   
“You finished the book in one night? You’re incredible, Toby.” I slap her arm and sigh, rubbing my eyes.   
“I have to help my mom at the bakery tonight.” I tell her as we walk aimlessly through the hallways, weaving through groups of friends walking between us.  
“Have to our you volunteered yourself like you normally do?” She asks, looking over at me.  
“Of course I volunteered, she’s working herself crazy.” Robin nods her head, agreeing. She’s hung around my house ever since we were kids, so she knows exactly how my mom has changed and how she has been ever since she started work at her bakery. The stress is quite honestly killing her.  
“I think it’s good that you’re helping her. Little Toby is such a good son.” She teases, poking me in my ribs.   
“Oh shut up.” I mumble, but a smile grows on my face as I chuckle softly. Robin grins and chuckles softly. My eyes are already drooping as we walk and I know that I have no chance of staying awake in class today. I’m too focused on keeping my eyes open that I fail to notice someone walking right to me, their face in a book. One moment I’m talking to Robin, then I hit something hard. I’m almost positive I’ve ran into a wall until I feel the wall fall onto the ground with me. Looking up, I see the red haired boy, stumbling to grab his book off the ground.   
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” I stutter, my cheeks growing hot, though I relax slightly as I notice his turning the same shade of red. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.” The boy shook his head and he rubbed his side, wincing slightly.  
“Are you okay?” I ask, noticing his wince. “I’m so sorry.” I push myself to my feet and hold out my hand. He stares at my hand for a moment before hesitantly reaching up and talking it. Smiling to myself, I help pull him up.   
“It’s really fine.” The boy says quietly, running his arm and staring down at his feet, the blush on his cheeks concealing his freckles. I run my hand through my hair a little awkwardly, suddenly self conscious of my not so elegant appearance.   
“That’s a good book.” My mouth says before my brain can speak and those amber orbs immediately move to the book in his hands. He clears his throat and nods his head, obviously uncomfortable.   
“Yeah, it is…” Robin strolls back over to me and grabs onto my arm.   
“Come on, Toby, we have to get to class.” She says, even though we still have five more minutes before class starts. Not waiting for my reply, she starts to pull me away.  
“I’m Toby, by the way.” I call to him over my shoulder. “Toby Cassidy.” I’m almost sure that he’s not going to say anything, then I hear a small voice from behind me.   
“Canangan.” The boy replies as Robin pulls me away and I can’t hide the grin on my face.  
Canangan… What I strange name. I wonder what his parents were thinking about when they named him. Maybe he has those parents who want to give their kids really unusual and unique names that you can never find on a souvenir key chain. Or maybe it’s a name that runs in the family. Maybe his dad has the same name and he’s Canagan Jr. My mind is spinning with all the newly forming questions that I accidentally write two times four is six on my calculus homework. After a while, I decide to just give up on my homework all together and I pull out one of my spare notebooks. I use it for chemistry, but I barely use it and I’m sure that writing in a few pages won’t kill me. At the top of the page, I write his name in my nicest handwriting.  
Canangan  
I purse my lips, contemplating what to write underneath it. After a while of thinking, I begin jotting down the questions floating around in my mind.  
-How did he get that gash on his face?  
-What is wrong with his side? Why did he wince?  
-Why did he decide to move here?  
My head snaps up as the bell rings and I realize I spent almost half of the hour working on only three questions. I gather my stuff and lead my own way out of the classroom, moving toward the lunchroom. I’m there long before Robin, so I plop down in the small, round seat, not even bothering to get in the overly long line to get a tray full of nasty food. My eyes travel around the lunchroom until they land on Canagan, still sitting at a table alone. I can’t help but notice that he’s reading a different book. Great, like I have the time to stay up until morning reading just so I can have a one word conversation with the boy. Robin sits next to me with a loud plunk and she groans, staring at the soggy pizza in front of her.  
“I swear, this food just gets worse and worse.” She mutters, poking a piece of pepperoni with her nail. I chuckle, watching the disgust grow on her face.   
“Yeah, that’s why I refuse to touch it.” I chuckle, watching her hesitantly raise the piece of pizza to her lips and skeptically take a bite.   
“Mm,” She mumbles as she chews her pizza. “So I have the mystery boy in my calculus class.” She tells me, setting her lunch back on her tray.   
“Canagan.” I correct and lean forward on my elbows. “And yeah? You didn't say anything yesterday.” Robin shrugs her shoulders.   
“I didn't notice yesterday, he sits in the back of the room and doesn't say anything. But today Mr. Smith awarded him because he's done so well already and he missed the first to days of school. That's just stupid, of course, since we've barely learned anything anyway, but he said he learned it already at his last school so it was basically just a refresher for him. He seems pretty smart, you know?”  
“Well duh.” I say as if it's the most obvious observation in the world. “Anyone who reads as much as he does must be smart.” I say, pointing into the direction of the nearly empty table where he sat, his head in his book and nibbling on a potato chip.   
“Yeah, you're probably right.” Robin mutters, watching him from her seat. Her eyes then travel around the rest of the cafeteria. “You know, I'm kind of surprised he's sitting alone.” I furrow my eyebrows and look at her.   
“Why?” I ask, stealing a piece of pepperoni off of her pizza. She slaps my hand and sighs, giving up and just letting me have it.   
“Because you're not the only one who is excited about new things in this town. Don't you remember when December Friday moved here in sixth grade? Everyone immediately swarmed her and tried to make friends with the new girl. No one seems to be paying in any mind.” I shrug my shoulders.   
“He is kind of trying to draw attention away from himself.” I say, though I do find it rather odd. Why wasn't everyone swarming him to try to learn more about him? It's not everyday that someone moves here, so why is it like no one cares at all?   
“Maybe there's something wrong with him.” Robin suggests, tilting her head to the side as she watches him carefully. “I mean, look at that sweater he's wearing.” I frown, eyeing the red knit sweater that hangs off of his lanky frame and covers his hands almost completely as he digs around in his small chip bag.   
“What about his sweater?” I ask, not fully understanding her point. Robin stares at me before she tugs on the black sleeve of my tee shirt. “It's over eighty degrees outside, Toby, and he's wearing a sweater.” The pieces fit together in my mind and I narrow my eyes, watching him closer.   
“I know Illinois is cold, but not that cold.” I mumble, watching him. “Maybe he came from Florida and eighty degrees is too cold for him?” As I say it, even I know that it's a piss poor explanation. “Maybe we should go ask him.” Robin scoffs and she rolls her eyes.   
“Yeah, let's just go over and ask him ‘hey there, we were just wondering, why are you so weird and why does no one want to talk to you?’.” I slap her arm and groan.   
“We wouldn't ask it like that! Just, I don't know, ask if he's too warm in the sweater or something like that.”   
“I still think it's a stupid idea and that we should just leave him alone.” Ignoring her, I gather my stuff and I stand up. “Where do you think you're going?” She hisses as I toss my backpack over my shoulder.   
“I'm going to go talk to him, what does it look like I'm doing?” I turn my head in preparation to walk over to him, only to see the boy scrambling to get his stuff and leave the room. I frown and go to rush after him, but he's already long gone.   
“See, I told you he wouldn't want you talking to him.” I slump back in my seat and drop my bag on the ground.   
“You don't know that he left because he saw me getting up.”  
“Maybe he has super sensitive hearing and he heard us talking about him.” She jokes, nudging me in the side. “Maybe he's just nervous about the whole new school thing. Give him some time and maybe soon he'll come begging to be friends with the great Tobias Cassidy.” As I roll my eyes, she chuckles. “Besides, you know his name, it doesn't look like he's told anyone else. So maybe he wants to be friends with you but doesn't know how to.” She does have a point, and this point causes my heart to swell with excitement.  
“Yeah, maybe you’re right.” I fidget in my seat and look around the cafeteria, wondering where Canagan went.   
“Dude,” Robin laughs, slapping my arm. “Give the guy some space, you’ve talked like what? Once?”   
“Twice.” I scoff and lightly tug at a curl falling near my shoulder.   
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that your relationship was so serious.” I roll my eyes.  
“Oh shut up, will you.” She chuckles and leans back slightly, teetering nearly falling off the backless chair.   
“So, are you excited about working with your mom tonight?” She asks, changing the subject, making my heart sink ever so slightly.   
“Yeah, it’ll be interesting, that’s for sure.” I say, tossing my hair behind my shoulder. “She will definitely need the help and I’m running the counter.”  
“Maybe I’ll come in.” Robin grins. “And I’ll make fun of you if you have that stupid hair in a ponytail.”   
“Hey!” I gasp, offended. “My hair is beautiful and you know it!” She laughs and tugs at a loose curl.   
“Oh yes, it is so heavenly. I am so sorry that I ever made fun of it.” She jokes, bowing forward a little. I roll my eyes and lean forward onto my elbows.   
“Whatever, but someday you’ll see that I’m right.”  
“You know that most girls don’t like long hair.” She tells me, watching the hair float at my shoulders.  
“I don’t care about what they like or what they don’t like.” I say, shrugging. “I don’t wear my hair so perfectly just for the appreciation of others, I like it this way and I don’t care if others don’t.” Robin shrugs.  
“You will if you ever want to get a date, you know Ms. Bundy isn’t going to say yes to your date this year. Maybe you should try a leather jacket if you insist on keeping your hair that long, I think it would look pretty good on you. And all of the girls will be begging to have you date them then, more so than already.” Robin grins, nudging me.   
“I don’t know, Robin.” I sigh, running my hand through my hair. “I’m just not interested in dating.”  
“Well why not? It’s fun!”   
“Yeah, for you. You have to date several guys throughout each year. I swear, you’ll have dated every guy in town before you’re twenty five.” Robin rolls her eyes.  
“Not true, I haven’t dated you. And, no offense, but I probably never will.”  
“No offense taken, I’m not interested.”  
“As you’ve said.” She sighs then leans forward, her voice becoming more serious. “Just maybe give it a thought, Toby? I think it would really do you some good.”  
“What, just saying yes to some random girl will do me good? I’m sorry but I fail to see how that works.”  
“You’ll see, if you try it.” She says, patting my arm. “Please, for me.” I sigh and peer around the cafeteria.   
“Maybe, okay, I’ll think about it.” She grins and kisses my cheek, leaving a large, red mark on my tan skin.  
“Gross!” I groan, stealing her napkin and wiping the mark off of her cheek. She beams to herself with delight and she goes back to eating her lunch. I lean back, letting my head tilt back and closing my eyes, mentally preparing myself for tonight. 

“Good, you’re here!” Mom calls as the bell of the bakery signals my arrival. “I have an apron by the counter that you can grab and get ready. People should start coming in soon.”   
“I’m on it.” I slide behind the counter and throw on the apron. I quickly tie my hair up into a bun before leaning back against the counter to look into the kitchen. “You need any help in there, mom?” I call, tilting my head to see her.  
“No, I’m fine! Just watch the counter in case anyone comes in!” I sigh and turn back, leaning my elbows against the counter and I wait for someone to come in. Lucky for me and my boredom, I don’t have to wait long before a familiar brown ponytail comes bouncing in.   
“Don’t you look so cute behind the counter?” Robin jokes as she comes in, leaning against the counter with a smirk.   
“Oh shut up.” I laugh. “You want anything or are you just going to stand there?” She taps her chin with her finger and peers through the glass to see the lines of treats set up on display.   
“I think I’ll have one of those decorated sugar cookies.” She says, pointing to an expertly painted butterfly cookie, dressed in pinks and blues and purples.  
“Just know that it’s extremely sugary.” Robin laughs.  
“You know me, it’s probably not sugary enough.” I roll my eyes and I grab the cookie with a napkin. “Did your mom paint these? They’re gorgeous.” I smile and hand her the cookie.  
“Yeah, she did. That’s three dollars, by the way.” She grabs some money out of her purse and hands it to me.   
“Your mom really is good at what she does.” Robin says, observing the cookie before taking a bite. “Mmm, this is amazing!” She moans as she chews it.   
“Alright, don’t enjoy it too much.” I laugh and she rolls her eyes.   
“It’s really good though.” I chuckle and put her money in the cash register before leaning forward on the counter again.   
“There better be more people coming, or there’s no point in being here.” Robin slaps my arm.  
“Don’t say that, your mom needs your help.” I sigh and look into the kitchen, catching sight of her rolling out the dough for a pie.   
“Yeah, I know she does.” I say before standing when I see someone coming into a shop-a woman with a young boy, looking around with excitement. I grin, shooeing Robin away. “Hi there, is there anything I can get for you?” The mother of the boy smiles and brings him over to the counter.  
“Oh, we’re browsing. We’re looking for a very special snack.” I raise my eyebrow and lean over the counter.  
“Oh really? And what is this special snack for?” I ask, smiling. The little boy hides behind his mother’s leg. She smiles and rubs his back.   
“Jason here hit his first home run ball at his baseball game!” I gasp and notice a shy grin growing on his face.  
“That’s amazing! And you know, I think I have exactly what you need, come over here.” I smile and walk over to a different display and I kneel down, waiting for the kid to move from behind his mom’s legs and following me to the display. “You see here?” I ask, pointing to a cake coated with green, grass like spikes of frosting and a circle of cake coated with fondant on top, beautifully painted to represent a baseball. “How about this cake right here?” I ask. “Or if you want something smaller, I have some identical cupcakes too.” The boy, Jason, grins and stares up at his mom.   
“Can we get it, mom, please?” He begs, bouncing up and down. His mom smiles and chuckles softly.  
“Sure, baby, do you want the cake?” Jason grins and he nods excitedly. I beam and pull the cake carefully out of the display.   
“Coming right up.” I box up the cake and bring it to the front counter before ringing her up. Jason continues looking around at everything on display.  
“Here you go.” I grin, handing her the box. “Have a wonderful day, and congratulations on your game.” Jason smiles shyly.  
“Thank you.” He says before he leaves the shop with his mom. Robin grins and walks over, leaning against the counter again.  
“Not bad for your first real customer.” I grin and lean back, calling into the kitchen,  
“Hey mom! I just sold a whole cake!” Mom pokes her head out of the kitchen, flour coating her cheek, and she grins.  
“Congrats, honey! Keep up the good work.” I grin as she goes back into the kitchen. I bounce in my spot, excited for another customer to come in. Robin laughs at me and she finishes up what's left of her cookie.  
“Someone’s excited.” She teases and reaches over to poke my arm. I just roll my eyes but I don’t argue because I know my excitement is stupid. But it’s accomplishing, it’s the best feeling in the world. The bell sounds and I know that it’s my time to shine again.  
“Oh.” Robin says suddenly, a smirk on her face.   
“What?” I push her to the side only to see Canagan looking through a display next to the door. My heart skips a beat and I quickly pull my hair out of its bun, letting it fall onto my shoulders. Robin gives me a weird look, raising her eyebrow, but she doesn’t have time to say anything.  
“Can I help you?” I call, causing Canagan to jump.  
“Oh, um, not yet, I’m just looking.” I can tell my his expression that he is just now noticing that I’m here and his posture suddenly changes, growing tense.   
“Alright, just yell for me if you need anything.” I say, grabbing a towel to wipe off the counter, trying to make him feel more comfortable.  
“Nice hair.” Robin jokes and I slap her arm.  
“Shut up.” I mumble, watching him out of the corner of my eye. His amber eyes are focused on one thing in particular: a cupcake with brown spikes of frosting, looking like a shaggy brown dog. I clear my throat and shift.  
“My mom makes everything.” I say, causing him to jump again. “It’s all homemade and decorated by her.”  
“Are you talking about me?” I turn as mom walks out of the kitchen with her dirty apron, grinning and rubbing my back. She tilts her head to the side when she sees Canagan.  
“Oh, hello. Are you new here? I don’t think I’ve seen you around.” Canagan tugs at the sleeve of his sweater and he nods his head.  
“Yeah, my dad and I just moved in.” She smiles and comes out from around the counter.   
“I think you’ll like it here, it’s really nice.” She says, walking over to look at the display with him. “So what brings you into my shop?” She asks and Canagan turns, as if just remembering that he was here for something.  
“Oh, my dad wanted me to pick up some doughnuts for him.” He says, sounding quiet and shy.  
“Then I’ll let Toby here work that out, I have to head back into the kitchen. Toby,” She says, waiting for me to take over.  
“Oh, right.” I say, striding toward the display on the wall behind the counter and I list the doughnuts I see. “There’s glazed, chocolate, creme filling, jelly filling-strawberry and raspberry- there’s red velvet, regular-but that’s kind of boring- and my personal favorite, mocha chocolate.” I turn to him, noticing the overwhelmed look spreading across his face.  
“J-just two glazed doughnuts, please.” I slide toward the glazed section.  
“Vanilla, chocolate, or lemon glazed?” I ask, looking over my shoulder at him.  
“Just vanilla, please.” I nod, grabbing a bag and a napkin, grabbing two vanilla glazed doughnuts and bringing them over to the counter.   
“Okay, that will be...Five dollars and fifty cents.” I smile and nearly drop the bag of doughnuts. Canagan doesn’t seem to notice as he fumbles with some money he pulled out of his pocket.   
“Here,” He says, handing me a ten dollar bill. I stick the bill in the cash register and give him his change and the bag of doughnuts.  
“Enjoy and do come again.” I say, putting on a charming smile. He shares a weak smile with me and nods before turning and leaving without another word.  
“He is pretty cute.” Robin says, watching him as he leaves. “You can’t help but wonder what he is hiding underneath that sweater of his.” I slap her arm.  
“Can’t you just think about something else for ten minutes?” She rolls her eyes, turning back to watch him.  
“He really is cute, though. Maybe I’ll ask him out.”  
“Yeah, if he even talks to you. I think that the only people he has talked to at all is our teachers and my mom.”  
“And you.” She says, poking my arm. “Maybe you should teach me your ways.” I shrug my shoulder and I wipe the counter with the towel, letting the conversation drop quickly. Robin turns to the clock and swears. “Shoot, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Have a fun time at work.” She leans over the counter and she gives me a kiss on the cheek, grinning as I make a face of disgust and she grabs her purse before leaving. I chuckle and wipe the lipstick stain off of my cheek and lean forward, letting out a sigh. I let my mind wander to Canagan, but only briefly, as the bell goes off again and this time I wish that the customers would just go away.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a novel that I've begun for National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo). Thank you so much for reading and I hope that you enjoy!


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